Latin alphabet

Used by ~5.6 billion people (about 70% of humanity); the official script of 130+ countries and used to write 3,000+ languages. The Roman alphabet developed from the Etruscan script around the 7th century BC. Spread across Europe with the Roman Empire, it was adopted by languages worldwide during the Age of Exploration (15th–17th centuries). Now used by ~3 billion people — the most widely used script on Earth — it is the international standard for the internet, science, and diplomacy. Most languages, including Korean, Chinese, and Japanese, maintain official romanization systems.